As computer network applications increase in number, the requirements for feature control in application processing are also increasing. The popularity and growth of multimedia computing in general, and especially in network multimedia computing, has increased the need to optimize information transfer capabilities, control and management. In computer-based multimedia applications, the use and availability of digitally coded files, including video and audio files, has greatly enhanced the usefulness of the system as well as the number of applications to which such multimedia computer systems can be applied. Typically, computer systems transfer files intact between devices. In video applications for example, where files are transferred from memory to a video decoder for presentation on a display device, there is generally no opportunity for a user to modify the files being transferred or otherwise control or manage the presentation of such files on a display device.
In many media applications, the presentations (both audio and video) can be greatly enhanced. Video presentations, for example, would be greatly enhanced when video files are presented in a predetermined order or sequence for maximum impact or even for logical presentation. Other applications may be enhanced by having a capability to pause a transfer transaction during the transfer process for example, in order to make several preliminary determinations concerning the user choices or the user's system, prior to the transfer and presentation of the entire file. That function would provide substantial benefit in cases where the entire video or audio file may contain an enormous amount of information and take considerable time to transfer the entire file from memory to a file decoder. If, for example in a video application, a user decides there is no need to view the entire file, or to switch to another file, system efficiency and system speed would be greatly increased by providing a user with the option to pause or terminate a video file transfer before the transfer has totally completed. Other desirable control features for use in transferring files include such capabilities as a jump function by which data being transferred would jump to a predetermined location of one file when another predetermined location of another file was being transferred, or to jump immediately to a certain location of a file when that file begins to transfer or reaches a certain location in the file.
Thus there is a need for an improved method and processing apparatus which is effective to provide an application programming interface to allow end users and end user systems data transfer control options in controlling data file transfers from memory through a decoder to a user system or device.